Student outfits of INDIA bloc parties held a joint protest at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday against the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG. Around 100 protesters belonging to various student groups, including the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India and Left-wing outfits — All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) — participated in the demonstration seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The protesters also demanded that the National Testing Agency (NTA), the body responsible for conducting national-level entrance examinations, be scrapped.
SFI general secretary Mayukh Biswas said, “The NTA and the Union Education Minister have completely failed in ensuring a just and competent system of examination, which is evident through the paper leaks and postponement of exams. We will continue our fight against the injustice to students until our demands are met.”
Leaders of the student outfits of the Opposition parties had announced a nationwide agitation in a press conference held a day earlier.
The press interaction was followed by a protest at Jantar Mantar, during which 30 students were detained.
One of them — Neville Thomas, an MA (Sociology) student and AISA member — was booked in an FIR under Sections 223(A) (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 221 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 121(1) (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), and 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The BNS, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam came into effect on Monday, replacing the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.PC), and Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
On Wednesday, student leaders alleged that the FIR was registered under the new law, which carries higher fines and longer sentences than those stipulated under the IPC or the Cr.PC, in an attempt to curb dissent.
“With harsher punishments, the new laws are being used to curb student dissent. It is clear that the administration wants to silence students. There are concerted efforts to curb our protests,” said Jawaharlal Nehru Students’ Union president Dhananjay.
Explaining why penal provisions in the BNS were harsher than those in the IPC, Anas Tanwir, a Delhi-based lawyer, gave the example of Section 223A of the new law as per which a person may be jailed for up to six months or fined up to ₹2,500, whereas the violation of an order by a public servant under the old law, as per IPC Section 188, prescribed a maximum jail term of up to one month or a fine of up to ₹200.
(with inputs from Anvee Bhutani)
